Need to Make Space in Your Medicine Cabinet? National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is Sept. 26 Published Sept. 24, 2015 By TRICARE.mil Staff Communications Division, Defense Health Agency FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- TRICARE beneficiaries have a safe and easy way to dispose of their expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. The Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take-back Day is Sept. 26. Sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for people to bring excess prescription drugs that otherwise could be abused or contaminate the environment. At the last DEA take-back day in September 2014, Americans disposed of more than 617,000 pounds of unwanted or expired prescription drugs at more than 5,500 sites across the country. The last eight take-back days have collected more than 4.8 million pounds of unused medication. “The presence of unused, unwanted and expired prescription drugs in American homes is a real public safety and health issue,” said Dr. George Jones, chief of the Defense Health Agency Pharmacy Operation Division. “Prescription drug abuse is a serious problem, and getting these old drugs out of the home medicine cabinet reduces the chance of abuse or accidental misuse.” Collection sites can accept prescription and over-the-counter “solid dosage” drugs (tablets and capsules) but intravenous solutions, injectable medications and needles are not accepted. Illegal substances such as marijuana or methamphetamines also cannot be disposed at DEA sponsored collections sites. To find a collection site go to: http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_disposal/takeback/. Many military installations will participate in this event, including; Portsmouth Naval Hospital Pharmacy in Norfolk, Virginia; the U.S. Air Force Academy Commissary in Colorado Springs, Colorado; and the Naval Medical Center in San Diego.